Life is a Highway
by Tori of Lorien
Summary: After an accident leaves Morrison and The Miz stranded in a town in the middle of nowhere, all they want to do is get out. But it won't be as easy as they thought after forming new friendships and with a plot to keep them from ever leaving alive.
1. Chapter 1

**Life is a Highway**

**Summary**: After an accident leaves Morrison and The Miz stranded in a town in the middle of nowhere, all they want to do is get out. But it won't be as easy as they thought after forming new friendships and with a plot to keep them from ever leaving alive.

**Pairings**: Morrison/OC, Miz/OC

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey! This is my first multi-chaptered story using these two. It was inspired by watching "Cars" while I was babysitting a couple weeks ago, so it's loosely (very loosely) based off of it. Um, let's see, it's only Miz and Morrison friendship, as told by the pairings. So, with all that said, enjoy! No flames please!

_Chapter 1_

It was only supposed to be a six hour drive.

When hearing that the next pay-per-view was going to be in Las Vegas, Nevada, John Hennigan and Mike Mizanin, better known to the WWE Universe as John Morrison and The Miz, the best tag team of the twenty-first century, decided that it would be just as easy to drive from their homes in Los Angeles. This way, they could take their time and avoid the hectic airports and still arrive in time for all of the pre-show activities. For once, it would be a relatively relaxing trip.

John pulled up in front of Mike's house later that afternoon, honking his horn a couple of times to signal he was there before climbing out to open the trunk. Mike came outside then, locking up his front door before making his way to the car with his bags.

"Thanks for the ride, Man," Mike said, putting them in the trunk.

"Not a problem," John replied, closing it up once everything was inside. "It would be dumb to take two separate cars."

"That's true." Mike climbed into the passenger seat while John got back behind the wheel. "How do you want to divide up the driving?"

John set up the GPS before he started the car and pulled away from the house. "Well, I'll do the first half," he told him, turning on the radio. "We could stop for food or gas or something and switch."

Mike nodded, leaning back in the seat. "Sounds good," he agreed, beginning to sing quietly to the rock song playing on the radio.

Getting out of California was the first problem. The traffic was moving so slowly that it was practically at a standstill most of the time. John tapped the steering wheel in annoyance as he inched forward a little while Mike kept shifting restlessly in the seat next to him.

"That's not going to help, Mike," John muttered with a sigh, coming to another stop.

"I know..." Mike sighed. But then, an excited grin lit up his face. "This show is going to be awesome. Those world tag team championships are ours, Man!"

John smiled as he pulled his hair back behind his head. Like his best friend, he was also greatly looking forward to the moment when they claimed the belts. IT would only continue to prove how great of a tag team they were. "Hey, watch your hands. I'm going to roll up the windows and turn on the air."

As Mike moved his arm back into the car, he noticed a little boy in the car next to theirs staring at him. When he gave him a smile, the boy stuck his tongue out at him.

"Did you see that kid?" Mike asked, turning to look at John.

John looked up from turning on the air condition, laughing when the boy continued to make faces at Mike. "I'd say that's a pretty smart kid," he answered with a smile, causing Mike to cross his arms and glare at the other man.

Then, they made a little more progress than before, and both John and Mike began to sing dramatically along with Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" as they continued to move.

"Mama, ooooh... didn't mean to make you cry... if I'm not back this time tomorrow..."

Finally, they made it through the stalled traffic and were moving quickly along the freeway, though they were behind schedule by nearly two hours. John turned off the air conditioning and rolled the windows back down, enjoying the warm day while Mike took out his phone and began to play Snake.

They stopped around eight at Taco Bell for a quick dinner. After signing some autographs, they sat down at a table with their orders, sitting diagonally from each other so they could each stretch their legs.

"So, do you want me to take over the driving now?" Mike wondered before taking a bite of his chalupa.

"Yeah," John replied, putting some hot sauce on his taco. "We may be behind on time, but I'd say that we have a little over half the distance to go yet."

Mike nodded. "Not a big deal."

John took a sip of his soda. "Do you think that we should stop for the night so we're not so tired when we get there?" he asked.

"Nah, I can drive though the night," Mike answered. "Besides, it's only a little after eight now. It'll probably be close to nine by the time we leave and fill up on gas and stuff. So, we'll get to Vegas around midnight. That's not so bad."

"All right. As long as you feel comfortable."

Mike smiled. "John, may I remind you that I'm the Miz, and I'm-!"

"Awesome. Yeah, I know."

Once they were finished eating, Mike got behind the wheel while John climbed in the passenger seat. They stopped at a gas station, and Mike filled up the tank while John went inside to pay for the gas and a few snacks in case they got hungry on the road. They then ran into another traffic jam, but it was shorter than the first, and they were only put back about an hour.

"Are you sure you don't want to stop for the night?" John asked once it got later, noticing that his friend was looking a bit tired as he stared at the dark road ahead of them.

"No, I'm okay," Mike answered, rubbing his eyes before turning up the radio. "Besides, we're behind, and we only have about an hour and a half left. I've done worse."

John sighed. "If you say so," he muttered, leaning back in the seat.

Mike drummed the steering wheel a little, looking at the road signs as they passed them. An hour and a half. It wouldn't be so bad...

Then, he blinked in surprise when the music suddenly stopped, and he looked over at John with confusion, wondering why he had turned the radio off. But when he saw the dark look on his face, Mike instantly knew what song it had been and why it had been turned off. It had to have been Melina Perez's favorite song, which his friend refused to listen to.

John had been in a long-time relationship with the WWE diva, and it had only been a few months since they had broken it off. It was understandable that he wouldn't want to be reminded of it.

When he felt his gaze on him, John slowly turned to look at Mike, giving him an apologetic smile. "Sorry..."

"Hey, it's okay, Man," Mike assured him with a smile of his own before turning to look ahead of him. "I don't blame you."

Around midnight, John fell asleep in the passenger seat, and Mike found that he was starting to have problems focusing himself. He only had an hour. He could make it...

_"Recalculating..."_

Mike jumped and gasped when he heard the sudden electronic voice, realizing that it was the GPS. He looked in the rear-view mirror, realizing that he had missed the exit he needed to get off on. "Shit..." he hissed, but knowing that he couldn't stop and turn around on the freeway, he searched for the next exit.

He drove for another mile before coming to the next ramp, and Mike took it, knowing that it would take them even longer to get where they needed to go since he had missed the right one. But, it shouldn't have been too difficult since they were heading in the same direction.

But he instantly realized that it wasn't going to be that simple once he reached the bottom of the ramp. The road he was on was the only one to be seen, and all that was around were what appeared to be cacti. It truly seemed that they were in the middle of nowhere.

_"Recalculating..."_

Mike sighed with irritation, turning off the GPS. If he had to hear it say _"Turn right... Recalculating..."_ over and over when he _couldn't_ turn right, he knew he would lose it. He looked over at John, who was still sleeping next to him. Why hadn't he listened to him and stopped for the night? If he had, he wouldn't have missed the exit, and they would have been in a safe, lit hotel instead of on a dark, empty road in the middle of God knows where. Realizing that he only had one option, Mike made sure the doors were locked, the windows were rolled up, and the brights were on as he quickly but cautiously began to drive down the road.

He wasn't sure how long he had been driving before Mike felt his eyes beginning to droop. He sighed, blinking a bunch of times and shaking his head as he tried to keep himself awake. Mike wished that he could have been blaring the radio since he knew that would help, but he didn't want to wake John, so the Mountain Dew in the backseat would have to do.

Keeping his eyes on the road, Mike reached into the back with one hand, frustrated that he couldn't find it. Sighing, he glanced away for a second, grabbing the bottle. At least this would help to keep him awake.

Suddenly, he heard a loud popping noise, which he recognized to be a tire, as the car swerved wildly. Mike immediately put both hands on the wheel, fighting to keep the car in control on the dusty road. But soon, it ended up in a small ditch, right in front of a large cactus. Mike bit his lip when he banged his knee on the steering wheel, definitely awake and alert now. He knew that he was going to hear it as soon as...

A groan to his right alerted him that John had woken up, and he watched nervously as he slowly sat up, hand at his head. He must have hit it sometime during the collision. Then, he wearily looked around them, confusion appearing on his face. "Mike... where are we?" he asked quietly.

"Um... somewhere in the middle of the desert," Mike answered, giving him a nervous smile.

John looked at him, shocked. "You _don't _know where we are?!"

"Well, I took the wrong exit, and..." Mike's sentence trailed off when John sighed and opened the door, stepping out into the night. He did the same. "Look, I'm sorry..."

John sighed, kneeling down next to his car to inspect the tire. "Definitely a flat," he muttered as he stood up, running his hand through his hair. "I'm not too concerned about the car since the insurance will take care of it. I've got the 'my idiot friend crashed the car' coverage." Mike glared at him. "What I do care about is that you didn't have the sense to pull into a hotel or something when you knew you needed it!"

"Look around, John!" Mike snapped, extending his arms out to the side to emphasize his point. "There's nothing here! Of course, unless you want to sleep on a cactus, that is."

Knowing that fighting with the other man wouldn't help anything, John sighed again as he climbed out of the ditch, Mike following him. "Well, we can't get a tow since it's so late, but we can try calling Vince to see what he can do," he muttered. But as soon as he pulled his cell phone out, he saw that wasn't going to be possible since he had no service.

"Great," Mike said, looking at his own cell phone and beginning to walk around looking for possible service since John had begun to do the same. "This is just great..."

But, the farther he got away from his tag team partner, the more unnerved he got since he couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't alone. But, as he looked around, he only saw John and endless desert...

Suddenly, he heard a cry of pain from his best friend, and he quickly turned around. His eyes widened with fear when he saw John on his knees, holding his head. Then, he gasped when he saw two men grab his arms and roughly pull him up a little as a third came and kicked him forcefully in the stomach. John bit back another cry before collapsing limply to the ground, gasping for breath.

"_John!_" Mike immediately began to run toward him, preparing to take on the men that had attacked him, but was stopped when something hard hit him in the back of the head. He fell to the ground, ignoring the pounding as he tried to push himself to his feet to help John. But before he got too far, a heavy foot landed on his back, forcing him back down.

"Bring them in," he heard a deep voice say. That made no sense to him. Where were they going? Who were these people?

The last thing that MIke saw was two men lifting John's limp form off the ground before a sudden forceful kick to the side of the head caused him to black out.

**Author's Note**: And, I thought I'd leave with a cliffhanger. It doesn't seem to good for them now, does it? That's it for chapter one! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated, just no flames please. Thank you!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Thank you for the reviews! Just where are Miz and Morrison? Well, you're about to find out! Oh, and I own Cailin and **purplelygoodnes** owns Izzy. Enjoy!

_Chapter 2_

Mike slowly opened his eyes when a thin ray of light hit them, and he groaned as he rolled over onto his back. His head was throbbing a little when he touched the back of it, and once the pain subsided, he sat up, his body stiff, and looked around him.

The first thing he noticed was that he was sitting on the wooden floor of what appeared to be a small, empty shed. That would explain why his muscles were so sore.

Then, he noticed that he wasn't alone in the shed. "John," he muttered anxiously, making his way over to where his best friend was lying against the opposite wall. "John, wake up, Man." He carefully shook him, remembering what had happened to them the night before.

After a moment, John groaned as his eyes fluttered open, his confused gaze landing on Mike. "What..."

Mike sighed with relief. "Good, you're okay," he muttered.

John nodded, starting to sit up. But a pain in his stomach forced him to stop for a moment before sitting up the rest of the way up and leaning back against the wall. "I will be," he confirmed with a slight smile, which Mike returned. Then, he looked around him. "So, where are we?"

"I don't know," Mike told him, sitting down next to him. "But, dude... We're in the middle of the desert. What if this is Area 51?"

"You can't be serious..."

"Think about it," Mike continued, talking a bit faster. "We get attacked by people that come out of nowhere, and now we're stuck in this small place... Damn it, Man, you know what aliens do to people... I don't want to get probed..."

John shook his head with a sigh, wondering how hard his friend had hit his head. "Mike, that's not going to happen because we're _not_ in Area 51," he muttered. He looked around them again. "Did you try the door?"

Mike stopped muttering under his breath about the potential alien threat and shook his head. "No, I haven't," he admitted quietly.

"Well, I would do that before worrying about aliens experimenting on us."

Rolling his eyes, Mike got to his feet and slowly walked across the creaking floor to the door. He reached toward it, but before he could even touch it, the door suddenly opened, throwing blinding sunlight into the small space. Seeing a figure on the other side of the door, Mike immediately applied a chokehold on whoever it was.

"This'll teach you to mess with us..."

John slowly got to his feet, winding when his ribs protested slightly to the action due to the kicks he had received the night before. "Um, Mike?"

Mike looked over his shoulder at him, not relenting his hold. "What?" he snapped.

"You may want to let _her_ go," John told him with a slight smile.

Slowly turning back to the person he had caught, Mike saw that John was right and that it wasn't someone that had attacked them before. Instead, it was a girl with curly brown hair highlighted blonde glaring up at him. He immediately released her. "Oh, man, I'm sorry..."

But the girl was anything but forgiving. "What was that?" she demanded angrily. "Do you _always_ attack people when you first meet them?!"

Mike returned the glare. "Oh, excuse me," he said sarcastically. "Maybe I wouldn't if I wasn't jumped, trapped in a place that I don't know, and wondering what the hell was going on!"

"I'm sorry for what he did," John spoke up, sensing that things could get ugly. "But you have to understand that we have no idea what's going on. I mean, we were just attacked..."

The girl turned to him, giving him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry about that," she told him. "But our town doesn't like outsiders."

"That's obvious," Mike muttered, earning another dark glare from the girl.

"Well, maybe you can help us," John said, drawing her attention back to him before another fight could erupt between his best friend and this girl. "We just got lost and got a flat tire. I don't really see how that deserves getting attacked and then being kept in this small shed."

The girl sighed. "Well, the goons that think they run this town usually patrol the desert at night. I think you were just there at the wrong time. But, since the sheriff convinced our mayor, you guys will be kept here until your trial this afternoon to settle the trespassing matter..."

"_Trespassing_?" Mike interrupted. "How the hell are we trespassing? You heard him! We got lost and ended up getting a flat tire before getting fucking jumped! How is that _our_ fault?!"

"Well, then my suggestion would be to find someone to represent you in court," the girl said, obviously annoyed by his loud mouth.

"Great." John felt his hopes rise a little. "Where can we get a lawyer?"

The girl shrugged. "We don't actually _have_ any lawyers here since we're such a small population," she muttered. "We usually just have the mayor, the sheriff, and his gang decide what to do with outsiders unless someone else is requested."

"Well, that's fucking great," Mike snapped, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the wall of the shed. "I'm surprised that you even have any sort of law enforcement..."

"Well... _I _could always be your lawyer," the girl told him, a suspiciously sweet smile on her face.

"Hell no!" Mike replied defensively. "If we chose you to be our lawyer, I have the feeling that _I_ would end up in jail." He could tell that he was already on this girl's bad side. She only laughed.

John sighed. Getting out of wherever they were wasn't going to be as easy as he thought. "Do you know of anyone that you would recommend we choose?" he wondered.

The girl nodded. "Yeah. Her name is Cailin Ballard," she said. "She's a good friend of mine that's a bookkeeper. It won't be hard to find her. There's only one bookstore in this town... But, she's fair when it comes to people like you."

Before Mike could make another snide remark, John smiled. "Can we go see her?"

"Depends. Are you going to try to run?"

"Oh, I wonder," Mike responded in a heavily sarcastic way. "I think we will because we're stuck in the middle of nowhere and have no idea where the fuck we are!"

"No, we won't try to run," John clarified, turning his attention back to the girl. "I'd rather handle this legally so we can get out of here as soon as possible. We have a show to get to..."

His sentence trailed off when he saw the look of confusion on the girl's face. "What?"

The girl shrugged. "What kind of show?"

"You mean... you don't know who we are?" Mike asked, exchanging a look of surprise with John.

"No. I don't watch _Assholes Most Wanted_."

Mike glared at her. "You little bit-!"

"We're professional wrestlers working with the WWE," John cut in before Mike could finish his insult. "I'm John Hennigan, and this is Mike Mizanin. But it's very important that we get to Las Vegas because of the show."

The girl looked at them blankly. "Well, I've never heard of you, but I'm Izzy. Izzy Taylor." She shook John's hand, ignoring Mike. "And though I don't know what 'show' you're talking about, I suggest you go talk to Cailin soon if you're in such a hurry to leave."

John nodded to her. "That sounds great," he told her. "Could you bring us there?"

Izzy looked at both men for a long moment before she nodded. "Come with me."

Mike and John looked at each other for a minute, wondering if they could trust this girl, before following her out of the shed. The bright sunlight blinded them momentarily as they looked around the area. There was what seemed to be endless desert on one side, bordered by a mountain range, and a few wooden, run-down buildings on the other. There couldn't have been more than twenty total.

"_This_ is your town?" Mike asked in disbelief.

Izzy glared at him, about to make a comeback, when she was interrupted by another voice calling her name. They turned toward the buildings, watching as a man walked along the dusty road toward them. "Hey, Ben," she said when he stopped next to her.

"Hey, sis," the man named Ben replied, giving her a quick hug before turning his attention to Mike and John. "So, these are the outsiders, huh?"

"Yep," Izzy told to who must have been her brother. They had the same curly hair and darker eyes. "I'm going to bring them to Cailin."

"Ah, so you want them to have a fighting chance?" Ben asked with a laugh. "Good. We need some decisions made by someone other than Damien and his gang."

Though he had no idea who Damien or his gang were, the fact that Ben seemed to be happy that they would have a chance on leaving made John encouraged. Maybe they could get out of this strange place after all.

* * *

Cailin's bookshop ended up being on the far side of the small town, which didn't take a long time to get to. It was a place with such a small population that it wasn't even on a map, which meant that it was one of the worst places John and Mike could be stuck in since they couldn't be found.

As they walked along the dusty road after Izzy, trying to ignore the stares that they were getting from some of the townspeople, Mike leaned over so that he could talk to John without being overheard by their guide. "Is it just me, or is there something weird about this place?" he whispered.

"No, there's definitely something weird," John replied just as quietly. "I mean, we get attacked and held in a type of jail for trespassing. And then there's a gang that usually enforces the law? That just doesn't feel right. I don't like this."

"Me either," Mike muttered. "I've never even heard of this place. And if someone should come to look for us, what are the chances of us being found in the middle of nowhere?"

"I know..."

"Here's the bookstore."

John and Mike stopped talking when Izzy made the announcement, and they saw that they were standing in front of a wooden building that was in a bit better shape than most, but still dreary-looking.

Izzy signaled for John to join her. "You can go in an talk to Cailin," she said. "Your loud-mouthed friend can stay out here so I can keep an eye on him."

"I _am_ here, you know," Mike snapped, irritated at this girl. She was successfully getting under his skin, which was rare for him. Izzy just stuck her tongue out at him.

"So, I just go in and talk to her then?" John wondered.

"Yeah, just mention you have your trial, and she'll know the rest," Izzy told him.

"Okay, I'll be out in a few minutes." John gave Mike a warning look before sighing as he turned and pushed open the door of the bookstore. When he had first heard that this place was here, he thought that it would have been the town's saving grace for him.

But as he looked around, he knew that wasn't going to be as true as he originally believed. The room was filled with bookshelves, but they were covered in many layers of dust and were practically empty except for a few books that were scattered around.

Then, John noticed one that caught his eye. He slowly wondered over to the shelf and picked it up, brushing the dust off the cover. It was a book about the legends from when the WWE was still the WWF, and he began to look through it, remembering why he had become interested in professional wrestling to begin with. What a book like this was doing in a bookstore in a town that didn't even know what the WWE was, he wasn't sure...

"Can I help you?"

John jumped when he heard the sudden voice, and he lowered the book, seeing that a girl with brown, layered hair that fell to her shoulders and hazel eyes was looking back at him curiously. "Oh, sorry," he said, closing the book and putting it back on the shelf. "I was just looking... Um, are you Cailin Ballard?"

The girl nodded. "Yep, I'm Cailin," she replied, shaking his hand. "And you are..."

"I'm John Hennigan," he told her. "My friend Mike and I were on our way to Las Vegas when we got lost in the desert..."

"Oh, okay. Yeah, I knew you weren't from around here," Cailin muttered. John couldn't help but notice that she hadn't called him an "outsider" as everyone else they had encountered so far had. "So, I take it you're here to ask me if I'll help in your trespassing case?"

"If you don't mind," John confirmed. "We have to get out of here as soon as possible to get to our show, and Izzy recommended you..."

Cailin smiled. "Not a problem. I'd be glad to. It's not like business is booming today anyway," she said. John also noticed that she didn't seem to be confused by what show he had been referring to. "Your trial begins at three. I suggest you get there a half hour early, and I'll meet with you and your friend then to talk about the incident and build your case. I'm sure Izzy or Ben will bring you..."

John returned the smile. "Thank you very much, Cailin," he replied. "I really appreciate this."

"It's my pleasure." Cailin then glanced at the WWF book he had been looking through before. "If you want it, you can just take it."

"Oh, I couldn't do that," John told her. "Not without paying you, that is."

Cailin shrugged. "As I said, it's not like business is booming," she muttered. "No one comes to buy books anymore because... well, there aren't that many anymore."

John looked at her for a long moment, seeing that she seemed to be upset by this. "Why haven't you restocked?" he asked.

"My dad, who's the sheriff, convinced the mayor when he was making budget cuts that books weren't as important as his so-called law enforcement," Cailin answered quietly. "So, they stopped providing money I use to order books, and I can't afford to keep refilling my shelves. I have other things to pay for too."

"I'm sorry, Cailin. I can tell how much you love this shop and the books that keep it alive..."

Cailin turned to him, giving him another small smile. "You're sweet, but believe me, it's not as big of a deal as you think," she muttered, picking up the book and putting it in his hands. "I'll see you at two-thirty."

"Okay. See you then." John watched Cailin thoughtfully as she walked off toward the back of the store, knowing that though she tried to pass it off casually, not being able to buy books to keep the store running really impacted her. Then, he looked down at the WWF book in his hands before reaching into his back pocket for spare change. He was determined not to take the book without paying something. He pulled out a five dollar bill and another two dollars in quarters, and placed it on the shelf in the book's place. It wasn't much, but he would pay for the rest of it later.

When John stepped out of the bookstore, he saw that Mike and Izzy were standing in the middle of the road. Judging by their angry expressions and raised voices, they were arguing about something.

"Mike, one more word, and I _swear_ I will strangle you with your bandana!" Izzy cried.

The self-proclaimed chick magnet automatically put his hand to the bandana around his neck. "You touch my bandana, girl, and so help me-!"

"What? Try it, I dare you!" Izzy snapped.

Mike stared at her for a long moment, silently fuming. There was a look on his face that showed there were many things he wanted to say but didn't before he growled with frustration and turned his back to her, beginning to walk down the street in the direction of the shed.

"Hey!" Izzy called after his retreating back, prepared to run after him if he should decide to try to escape.

"He won't try to run," John assured her as he joined her in the street. "He may be annoying, but he's not stupid."

"I don't see how you can put up with him so often," Izzy muttered as she and John began to walk in the direction Mike had gone.

"Well, I mean, he can be loud and obnoxious, but he's my best friend," John told her. "And we've been partners in the business for a while, so I guess I've just gotten used to him."

Izzy stopped walking, looking at him with a sudden understanding. "Oh," she said. "Okay, that makes sense..."

John also stopped walking, looking back at her with confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, you say you're used to him, being partners and all..."

He was so shocked, he nearly dropped the book he was holding. "_What_? No, no, no, that's not what I meant," John told her. "Okay? We've been _tag team_ partners for a while, which means that we fight together against other teams of two. Nothing more. I just got out of a long-time relationship with my _girlfriend_, and Mike thinks that he's a _chick_ magnet..."

Izzy nodded. "Okay, you know I don't know anything about this wrestling stuff. But, I wouldn't have cared even if..."

"No."

"I know." Izzy paused for a moment as she and John continued walking. "What about your girlfriend? Was she in this wrestling thing too?"

John sighed, a shadow falling over his face when he thought about Melina. "Yeah," he finally muttered. "We were in storylines together, and it kinda' went on from there."

Izzy gave him a sad look. "I'm sorry," she said. "I can see that you cared about her."

"We're still friends," John told her. "It's just that things weren't really working out..."

"I won't ask what happened." Sure, Izzy was curious, but she didn't want to make him feel any more uncomfortable than she already had.

"Thank you."

They walked in silence for a few more minutes before Izzy spoke up. "Does Mike have a girlfriend?" she wondered.

John looked at her with a smile and a wink. "No," he replied. "But he just hasn't found the right girl." Izzy narrowed her eyes at him and looked away.

When they reached the shed, they saw that Mike was sitting outside of it with a glum look on his face. "It's locked," he said as he got to his feet, seeming to be frustrated by the irony of the statement.

Izzy smiled, pulling on a chain around her neck that revealed a key for the padlock on the shed door. She reached forward and unlocked it, pulling the door open. "Now it's not," she told him with a smile.

Mike made a face at her before he went into the shed without a word. John gave her a slight smile. "I take it we have to wait in here for now?"

"Yeah," Izzy replied with an apologetic look. "Sheriff's orders. Depending on how your trial goes, you may be able to stay somewhere else afterwards. But, you have to stay here for now since you're still considered 'dangerous.'"

John nodded. "Makes sense," he muttered. "Cailin's going to meet us at two-thirty..."

"I'll come get you," Izzy confirmed. "See you then."

"Okay." John stepped into the shed, sighing when he heard the door close and lock behind him. He saw that Mike was sitting against the wall, absently playing with his shoelace. "Izzy really seems to be keeping you on your toes," he commented with a smirk as he sat down next to him.

"I don't want to talk about it," Mike muttered, not even looking up at him.

John looked at him with concern. "Are you okay, Mike?" he asked.

Mike quickly looked up, fury radiating from his eyes. "No, I am _not_ okay!" he answered with frustration. "I hate that we're in this town in the middle of fucking nowhere! I hate that girl that's so annoying! I just hate... _this_!"

During his little rant, John stayed quiet, not sure of what to say. Then, Mike turned his back on him as he muttered, "I just want to get out of here."

Sighing, John opened the book he had gotten and began to look through it, seeing that Mike was clearly not in the mood to talk for a while. He knew their best chance of leaving this town would come in a couple hours. He just hoped it'd be worth taking.

**Author's Note**: Okay, that's it for this one! All of the main characters have pretty much been introduced now, so the action will begin to pick up soon! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Thank you so much for the reviews, guys! I'm glad this story seems to be liked! Well, we're about to see how their trial goes. I wish them luck, lol. And if you celebrate it, Merry Christmas to all who are reading this! This is my gift to you. Enjoy!

_Chapter 3_

When two-thirty rolled around, John was still reading his book while Mike had resorted to throwing small pebbles that he had found in his shoes at the wall of the shed out of sheer boredom. But still, neither one of them talked, and they were determined to not say anything until the other started.

Then, they heard the sound of the padlock of the shed being unlocked, and the door opened. After their eyes adjusted to the sudden sunlight, they saw that it was Izzy. "Come on," she said simply before disappearing from the doorway.

Mike threw a pebble from his shoe in her direction, which missed. John sighed as he marked his page by folding the corner down and got to his feet, leaving the shed with his best friend following after him. Making enemies in this town wasn't going to help them.

They followed Izzy down the dusty road in another direction from where Cailin's bookstore was, Mike sulking while John looked at the nameless buildings as they passed them. How this town was even still able to function, he would never know.

Then, a larger, nicer building came into sight, and there was a sign in front of it that showed it was the courthouse. Both Mike and John stopped in front of it, seeing the name of the town for the first time.

"River Springs," Mike muttered, smirking as he looked around at the desert surrounding them. "Very fitting, considering that there's no water around her at all."

"Come on, asshole, you're going to be late," Izzy snapped, glaring at him before entering the building.

Mike turned to look at John. "Can you believe she called me that?" he asked.

John sighed, beginning to walk toward the courthouse. "Well, you are acting like one," he answered.

"You're supposed to be on my side, Man," Mike muttered, falling into place beside him.

"I am," John told him. "I just don't think it would be a good idea to make enemies right before our trial."

"Oh, right. The trial," Mike said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You mean where they put us on the stand and throw tomatoes at us?"

"Mike..."

"Sorry."

John and Mike entered the courthouse then, seeing that the younger's jest actually hadn't been that far off. It was all one large room with a stand in the center in front of a high desk. There was a long table at one end, which must have been for the jury, and a smaller one on the other side. Lastly, there were some folding chairs set up close to the door, which must have been set up for if the townspeople wanted to watch the trial.

"Yep," Mike commented as he looked around. "All we're missing are the tomatoes."

Before John could offer a comeback, the door opened behind them, and Cailin Ballard entered the courthouse. She immediately approached John, an irritated look on her face. "Why did you do that?" she asked.

John looked back at her, surprised. "What are you talking about?" he wondered. He had only met her once, and he didn't think he had done anything that would offend her.

Cailin sighed. "The money you left back at my store," she explained. "I told you that you didn't have to worry about paying."

"I know, but I wouldn't have felt right if I didn't," John told her sincerely. "I know it wasn't much, but it's all I had on me. Please, can you just accept it for now?"

After a long moment, Cailin nodded. "Yeah," she muttered. "But only because we have more important things to take care of. We have to build your case."

* * *

A half hour later, Mike and John found themselves sitting at the small table in front of the high desk with Cailin. The folding chairs behind them had filled up with people from the town, including Izzy and her brother Ben, to watch the trial.

Mike sighed as he leaned back in his seat, trying to shake the uneasiness of the silent courthouse though a surprising amount of people were in it. "So, how long do these things usually take?" he asked in nearly a whisper.

"Not too long," Cailin answered. "These aren't trials like you're used to. Judgement gets passed pretty quickly here."

"Is that good or bad?" John wondered, beginning to feel a tad worried himself.

Cailin looked at him with a sigh. "It depends," she told him. "With Damien, you never know. But, don't worry." She placed her hand lightly on his shoulder. "I feel confident about this."

John returned the smile, encouraged that Cailin seemed to feel good about this trial when he was still unsure. Her hand lingered on his shoulder for a moment longer before she removed it, sighing as she looked over her shoulder at the doors behind her.

Suddenly, the silence in the room was broken by the loud crash of the door being slammed open, and John and Mike quickly turned and watched as six men, all wearing leather jackets and black jeans, entered. The first five immediately went to the long table across the room from them and sat down while the sixth, a man with black hair and cold, gray eyes, stopped next to them.

"Best of luck, Cailin," he said, but his tone was anything but sincere. Mike's eyes narrowed slightly when he heard his voice. It sounded familiar...

Cailin glared up at him. "We'll see who's laughing at the end of the trial, Damien," she snapped. John realized that if this was Damien, the rest of the men must have been his gang, the supposed law enforcement of the town and their likely attackers from the night before. If that was the case, he wasn't sure how this was going to work in their favor.

Damien only smirked at her before turning his gaze to John and Mike, looking at them in a studying way before leaving and taking his spot at the long table. Mike leaned closer to John. "Do you think those are the guys that attacked us?" he muttered, seeing that the other man was still looking at them. "I recognized that voice..."

"If that's the gang that Izzy and Cailin were talking about, then I'm sure of it," John replied just as quietly. "They're the supposed law enforcement."

Mike smirked. "They don't seem to be that tough," he boasted, though his eyes flickered nervously as they ran over the six men. John just raised an eyebrow at him.

Then, the door opened again, and John and Mike watched as a larger man with graying hair wearing sunglasses, and a brown hat and uniform entered the courthouse. The badge on his shirt signified that he was the sheriff. Cailin tensed in her seat beside John as he stopped next to her as well.

"So, I see they chose you to defend them," he commented, a small smirk appearing on his face.

"Yes, Dad," Cailin muttered, trying not to look him in the eye. Then, she gasped when he bent over so he was in her face.

"That's Sheriff Ballard," he told her, lifting his sunglasses so she was forced to meet his gaze. "And I hope you have a damn good case, girl, because you're going to need it."

Cailin didn't say a word as the sheriff looked at John and Mike once before lowering his sunglasses back over his blue eyes and moving to stand in front of the high desk. John looked at her with concern while Mike leaned in front of him to talk to her. "That jerk is your dad?" he wondered.

"By blood, not by name," Cailin told him with a slight smile. "I don't really consider him that. But even though they all seem confident, I'll love to see the smile wiped off their faces..."

Mike's gaze softened with sadness, wondering how a father could treat his own child in such a cold manner as he sat back in his seat. John sighed, his gaze moving to the sheriff. His first impression of the man when Cailin had told him about him back at her bookstore hadn't been a good one, and seeing him now only supported that initial feeling. With the way he treated her and his overconfident demeanor, there was something about him that rubbed John the wrong way, and he didn't like it at all.

The door opened for a third time, and Cailin visibly relaxed when she saw the man who had entered. And when John and Mike saw him, they immediately knew why. The man that had walked in was pretty tall and somewhat well-built, but he had a friendly demeanor as he walked through the courtroom, smiling and patting Cailin on the shoulder as he passed her. But besides seeming much more pleasant than the others who had already entered the courtroom, there was also something familiar about him.

"That's Mayor Coleman," Cailin explained as the bald man with hints of a mustache and twinkling eyes sat at the high desk. "He's the one who's kept this town on its feet since he came here years ago. He's your best chance of walking out of this place."

"Do you know anything about his life before he came here?" John asked, not able to shake the feeling that there was something about the man that he recognized.

Cailin hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. "No, he came here when I was very young, long before my dad's gang took the streets," she answered. "No one bothered asking since he arrived when we needed someone, and he helped the town survive. He's done nothing but good for this place."

John nodded, but before he could comment further, the mayor raised his hand, signaling for silence in the already nearly silent courtroom. He looked around at all of the expectant faces before putting on his glasses and looking down at a pile of papers in his hands.

"So, today we're going to settle the matter of Mr. John Hennigan and Mr. Mike Mi... Miz..."

"Mizanin," Mike spoke up to help with the pronunciation. John smirked from next to him.

Coleman squinted at the name printed on the paper before nodded. "Ah, yes. I see that now. Thank you." Mike nodded with slight irritation while John quietly laughed. "All right, so today, we're going to settle Mr. Hennigan and Mr. Miz... Mizanin's trespassing matter." He gave Mike an apologetic smile, which he returned. Coleman then turned his attention to the sheriff standing next to him. "Go on."

Sheriff Ballard smirked at Cailin before turning his attention to the small crowd gathered behind them while John and Mike glanced at each other nervously, unsure of what was going to happen now. "I'd like to call on Damien Morgan for his account," he announced before stepping back again.

The room waited tensely as Damien, the leader of the gang that had talked to them briefly a short time before, slowly got to his feet and moved to stand in front of the mayor. He nodded respectfully before he began.

"Sir, my boys and I were keeping these streets and the area around it safe as we usually do at night, when we stumbled across these two in the desert," he explained, gesturing to John and Mike behind him. "They were people we've never seen, and they could have been a threat. So, since they were trespassing on our territory, we did the only thing we could do."

"Like attack us?" Mike muttered quietly so no one else would hear. John gave him a warning glance, and he shrugged in response.

"Were they doing anything that led you to believe they would be a threat?" Sheriff Ballard asked.

"Well, yeah," Damien answered. "I mean, you never know with these people..."

"I object!" Mike suddenly shouted, causing every pair of eyes to move to him with surprise. John sighed and sank a little in his seat while Cailin ran her hand over her face. From the crowd, Izzy sighed and shook her heat at his outburst while Ben just looked around nervously.

"What were we doing that was threatening when there wasn't anyone around?" Mike continued, getting to his feet to stare down Damien. "We weren't bothering anyone!"

"Enough!" the sheriff snapped, striding forward to stand in front of their table. John immediately stood up to help Mike if necessary, and Cailin looked away. "You only speak when spoken to!"

"Well, I'm not dealing with any of his bullshit lies-!"

Damien then joined the sheriff by the table, shouting about lies and profanities, while Mike and John were quick to defend themselves, and along with the murmur of the crowd, all words were lost in an inaudible racket.

Finally, Coleman raised his hand to signal for silence, and the noise slowly dwindled down until no one was talking. "Have a seat, Mr. Miz... Mike," he told him with a small smile. "Your turn will come. But for now, Mr. Morgan, please finish."

John immediately sat down, pulling on Mike's sleeve to signal to him to do the same. But he remained standing, glaring at Damien until the other man turned and walked away with Sheriff Ballard, finally sinking back into his seat next to his best friend.

"What did you think you were doing?" Cailin hissed. "Are you crazy?"

Mike shrugged. "They do it on those court shows all the time..." Cailin groaned and shook her head.

"Actually, Sir, I'm finished for now, if you don't mind," Damien told the mayor. "I believe what just occurred will support my point."

"Very well," Coleman said, allowing Damien to sit down at his table before turning his gaze to Cailin. "Miss Ballard, if you would."

Cailin took a deep breath to calm herself down. Then, she glanced down when she felt something on top of her hand, and she saw with surprise that John had placed his hand lightly on hers. "You'll do fine," he muttered when she looked up into his face, squeezing her fingers quickly for reassurance. "Wipe the smiles off their faces." He then gave her a wink.

A small smile appeared on Cailin's face as she tried to hide the slight blush that now tinted her cheeks. "Thank you," she told him before getting to her feet and walking around the table to stand before Coleman.

"Come on, Cailin, you got this, girl, you got this," Mike muttered, crossing his fingers as he waited tensely.

"I'd like to start off by saying that Mr. Hennigan and Mr. Mizanin are both professional wrestlers with the WWE company," Cailin stated. "They were on their way to their next show when they got lost in the desert..."

"And what, exactly, do you mean by lost?" Sheriff Ballard interrupted loudly. Cailin glared at him, frustrated by the unfair question.

Mike cleared his throat. "I was driving and missed the exit we were supposed to take on the highway, ending up in the middle of the desert," he explained. "We got a flat tire and crashed, having no idea where we were. I don't see how that's a crime."

"Nope, can't blame him for being stupid," Izzy commented quietly from the crowd. However, it was loud enough for Mike to hear. He turned around to retort, but he was prevented from saying a word when John smacked him in the back of the head.

Coleman cleared his throat at the little disturbance. "If you would please continue, Miss Ballard," he told her before moving his gaze to her father. "Let her get her case in." The sheriff grumbled something in reply that wasn't understandable, but he nodded anyway.

"As Mike said, they accidentally missed their exit and ended up stuck out in the desert because of a flat tire," Cailin went on. "Then, they got attacked-!" She abruptly paused when Damien began to stand up, but he sat back down again when he got a warning glance from the mayor. "They were attacked by some men, and though they're not able to identify exactly who at the present time, Damien admitted to it earlier. It was unprovoked since they were only trying to find a way out, and they were not posing a threat to anyone since they didn't even know that this town was here. They're not from around these parts. And it's not like we have a 'no trespassing' sign anyway. There was no way they could have known. They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Sheriff Ballard opened his mouth to ask a question, but someone else got one in before he could. "Is the car you were driving workable?" Coleman asked, addressing Mike and John.

"No, Sir," John chose to answer before his friend could. "It's in a ditch somewhere in the desert with a flat tire. We were going to call for a tow, but we had no cell phone service."

Coleman nodded thoughtfully. "All right..." he muttered. "Well, if you'll have a seat, Miss Ballard, I'm going to go over the information."

Cailin nodded, quickly hurrying back to her chair. John gave her a smile, taking her hand again. "You did great," he said.

"Thanks," Cailin replied, this time squeezing his hand and not letting go. "Hopefully, it's enough..."

The three of them watched as Sheriff Ballard moved to stand next to Coleman as they went through the papers, discussing the case in hushed tones. Cailin then glanced over at the longer table, seeing that Damien was leaning back in his seat, smirking at her confidently. He had the support of her father, which would usually give him the advantage.

Then, Cailin turned back to John when he tightened his hand around hers slightly and leaned close to her. "Look" he muttered, nodding toward the high desk.

Cailin followed his gaze, seeing that her father and the mayor seemed to be in some sort of quiet argument. After another moment, Sheriff Ballard nodded grimly, moving to stand in front of the desk again. Damien's confidence wavered. A decision must have been made.

"Here is my verdict," Coleman announced, turning his attention to the courtroom. "I rule that Mr. Hennigan and Mr. Miz... Mizanin are not guilty on the trespassing charges."

Damien stared at the mayor in disbelief while a smile lit up Cailin's face. "Furthermore, I will have your car worked on so you may be able to leave the town as quickly as possible once it is fixed," Coleman continued. "In the meantime, while you are here, we will assign you places to volunteer at so you're not just sitting around. We will let you know of your positions once we determine them. The matter has been settled."

"_Yes_!" Mike shouted triumphantly as he quickly stood up. He went around the table and took Cailin's hand, pulling her to her feet before wrapping her up in a huge, tight hug that knocked the breath out of her. "Cailin, you are _awesome_!"

"Thanks..." Cailin muttered with a small smile, watching as Mike hugged John as well. She then looked around the room, seeing that most of the people that had gathered to watch the trial were leaving. Then, she saw Damien and his gang, all glaring at her angrily, and she instantly began to feel uneasy...

Suddenly, she jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she quickly turned around, seeing that John was looking back at her with a smile. "It's okay," he told her with a slight laugh, pulling her into a hug of his own. "I was just going to tell you thank you and that you did a great job."

"Oh, you're welcome." The first thing that Cailin noticed as she hugged him back was that despite being a wrestler, John's arms around her were very gentle. "It was my pleasure."

When they pulled apart, Cailin saw that John was still grinning. "What?"

"Well, I was wondering if there was a restaurant around here," John said.

"Yeah, there's a bar type thing that's also a restaurant," Cailin told him. "Why do you want to know?"

"I was hoping that you would allow us to take you out to dinner tonight to celebrate and show the full extent of our gratitude," John explained.

Cailin sighed as she thought about her answer. This was not the first time that she had been asked out, but she usually didn't accept the offers. However, there was something about the hopeful glint in his eyes that she couldn't resist. "All right," she finally gave in, returning the smile. "That sounds great. I have a couple of things to take care of back at the bookstore, but I'm free after that. Would in an hour be okay with you?"

John nodded. "That'd be fine," he confirmed. "We'll be at your store then."

"Great. I'll see you then." Cailin gave him one more smile before turning and heading toward the door of the courthouse. On her way out, she passed Izzy, who was making her way toward John and Mike.

"Hey, I just wanted to let you guys know that-!"

However, she was interrupted when Mike, in his ecstasy, gave her a huge hug as well, leaving her speechless.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that," Mike muttered with a hint of sarcasm, looking at Izzy's shocked expression carefully. "I forgot you hate me."

Izzy cleared her throat as she recovered from the surprise of the sudden hug. "That's beside the point... But anyway, I just wanted to let you know that Ben is going to talk to his girlfriend to see if you can have another place to stay," she told them. "I know that shed isn't comfortable."

"Really? Thank you, that'd be great," John replied. "But hey, are you doing anything in about an hour, Izzy?"

"Hmm... No, I don't think so," Izzy said thoughtfully. "Why?"

"Well, Cailin's going to join us for dinner tonight, and I was wondering if you'd like to come too." John ignored the quick face Mike made at him. "After all, you did help us out, and it would just be a fun time."

"Would I be intruding?"

"No," John informed her immediately before Mike could make a snide remark. "We'd like you to come."

Izzy looked from John to Mike and back before slowly nodding. "Okay, sure," she told him. "I'd love to. So, meet you at Cailin's store then?"

John nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

"Okay. I'll see you in about an hour." Izzy gave him and Mike a smile before turning and making her way out of the courthouse.

Once she was gone, John and Mike turned to look at each other and started laughing, relieved that the trial had actually gone in their favor. At least the hardest part of getting out of this town in the middle of nowhere was now over.

* * *

"Are you sure that it was a good idea to invite her?" Mike asked as he and John walked down the dusty street in the direction of Cailin's bookstore.

"Izzy? Yes, I'm sure," John answered. "I mean, she did help us out, and she's mentioned something about her brother possibly getting us another place to stay. So, yes."

"Yeah, but we don't really get along..." Mike muttered.

"Well, hopefully that'll change once you get to know her a bit better and now that we know we're not going to be stuck here," John replied. "Just give her a chance."

"Fine..."

When they came around the corner to where the shop was, they saw that both Cailin and Izzy were already sitting outside, talking and laughing about something. When they saw them approaching, the girls stood and went to meet them.

"Ready?" Cailin asked with a smile as she approached John.

"Yep," John answered, returning the smile. "Let's go."

Cailin walked beside John as she led them in the direction of the restaurant, Izzy and Mike walking silently side by side behind them. It was almost an awkward silence since neither one knew what to say that wouldn't start an argument.

"So, where exactly is this place?" John wondered when they began to go in a different direction than anywhere they've gone before that started to lead away from the rest of the buildings.

"Not too far," Cailin told him. "It's at the base of the mountain right there. See?" She pointed ahead of her.

John followed where she was pointing, seeing a large wooden building at the base of the nearest mountain about a mile ahead of them. "Okay, yeah, I see it. That's neat..."

"It's called _Cliffside_, my favorite place," Cailin muttered with a small smile. "I think you guys will like it."

A smile appeared on John's face, but before he could reply, they heard a loud sound from behind them that made them stop. Quickly turning around, they watched with wide eyes as six people wearing leather jackets and black helmets on motorcycles coming from the desert were rapidly approaching them. John stood in front of Cailin protectively while Mike did the same with Izzy as the riders reached them, engines revving almost threateningly as they began to slowly circle the four like vultures.

They were surrounded.

**Author's Note**: One obstacle passed, another one in its place. Not looking too good... But, I hope you liked it! Thanks for reading, your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you! Merry Christmas!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Thank you for the reviews! Sorry it's been a while since I've updated, especially that bit of a cliffie, lol. But, I'm here now with chapter four! And much thanks to **Graelam** with her knowledge about the desert, lol. Love you, girl! Hope you enjoy!

_Chapter 4_

The motorcyclists continued to slowly circle the four, all laughing wildly. Cailin moved closer to John when one of them reached out for her, and he put his arm in front of her to try to help keep her away from him. Izzy shrieked when one of the men wrapped his finger in her curly hair, and Mike shoved his arm away, pushing her behind him more in an attempt to keep her away from him. What these riders were trying to do, they weren't sure...

Finally, the six men broke the circle and moved to form a line in front of them. John made sure that he was between Cailin and these bikers while Mike did the same with Izzy. But suddenly, Mike cried out with surprise when she pushed past him.

"What was that for?" he demanded, looking at her with confusion.

"So, you think that you can just be all protective now?" Izzy snapped as she crossed her arms. "After how you were before? I can take care of myself, thank you!" But then, she screamed when one of the bikers revved his engine loudly, grabbing Mike's arm. He rolled his eyes, pushing her behind him again. Until she had mentioned it, he hadn't really noticed that he had been protecting her.

Then, the man who was a small distance ahead of the rest of the line put down his kickstand and got off the motorcycle, standing in front of Mike and John before removing his helmet. They recognized the black hair and the cold, gray eyes immediately. It was Damien Morgan.

"You did a good job, Cailin," he sneered, leaning around John a little to look at her better. "You got them off without punishment while we're stuck with fixing their car so they can leave." John and Mike glanced at each other, not sure if they were comfortable with having the car in the hands of this man and his gang.

Cailin smiled at him. "I thought it was fair, considering they did nothing wrong," she replied.

Damien took a step closer, but John blocked his way. "It's clear that you have a problem with us being released," he muttered. "Bring it up with _us_. Not her."

"John..." Mike's eyes traveled to the other five men on motorcycles nervously. He didn't think that they would be the best people to mess with.

The gang leader looked at John thoughtfully as he turned his attention to him. Cailin grabbed onto his arm, but John didn't flinch as he looked into his cold, intimidating eyes. Mike watched the silent confrontation nervously, Izzy hovering behind him.

Damien smirked when he saw that John wasn't going to back down, and he slowly began to turn to walk back toward the rest of his group. Mike let out the breath he had been holding while Cailin slowly released her hold on John's tensed arm.

Suddenly, John cried out with surprise when Damien quickly turned back around, his fist colliding with his jaw. He took a couple of steps back, Cailin steadying him. Mike went to stand next to him with Izzy right behind him.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Fine," John answered quietly, rubbing his jaw as he glared at Damien. "What the hell was that for?"

"You told us that if we had a problem with you to bring it up with you," Damien told him with a smile. "And that's what we're doing. If you are truly wrestlers as you claim, you should be okay. Cameron. Logan. Go."

"Damn it," Mike muttered, watching as the two gang members on the ends of the line got off their bikes and removed their helmets and leather jackets. "Way to go, John."

"Did I ever say we'd fight them?" John replied with irritation.

Mike sighed, looking back at Izzy. "You'd better hang back," he told her.

Izzy looked up at him. "But I-!"

"Please, Izzy," Mike interrupted quietly. "If you only listen to me once, I want it to be now. Go with Cailin and just go in the restaurant or something. And here, you know what?" He quickly untied the bandana from around his neck. "Watch this for me."

After a minute, Izzy sighed as she took his precious bandana. "Fine," she muttered as she narrowed her eyes slightly and crossed her arms. "Just don't get your ass kicked too badly."

Mike laughed a little as he shook his head. "Thanks, girl." Izzy continued to glare at him until he turned his back, and then the annoyed look was replaced with one of concern.

"Look, I'm sorry," Cailin muttered to John, who was in the process of tying his hair back into a ponytail to keep it out of his face. "I didn't mean for this to happen..."

Her sentence trailed off when John placed his hands on her arms, and she looked up at him nervously. "We'll be fine," he assured her quietly. "We know how to handle ourselves. Go with Izzy."

Cailin looked up at him for another moment before she nodded, grabbing Izzy's arm and running toward the restaurant. Once he felt that they would be all right, John nodded to Mike as they turned to face the two men that were now starting to approach them. The first, who had been addressed as Cameron, was around their height with black hair tied behind his head and piercing green eyes. The second, named Logan, was taller and had a bit more muscle with blond hair that fell to his chin and chilling blue eyes.

"Just consider it a street fight," John said, sizing up their two opponents.

Mike rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like that makes this so much better..."

Suddenly, one of the bikers started his motorcycle and left the line. John turned and watched angrily as he moved to block Cailin and Izzy as they tried to get to the restaurant, trapping them outside.

But then, his attention was switched back to the two gang members they would be fighting when he heard Mike cry out, his eyes widening when he watched him get kicked in the side for a second time by Cameron, knowing that the attack had been meant for him since he hadn't been paying attention. "Mike!"

Before he could ask if he was all right, John had to step back as Logan quickly approached him, ducking to avoid a punch from his larger hand. He spun and kicked him in the shoulder, causing the bigger man to take a few steps back before he hit him with a standing drop kick. However, the ground was much harder than John was used to, and the impact knocked the wind out of him.

Mike had recovered from the two early strikes by Cameron, and he was now on the offensive as he continued to kick the other man. He elbowed him in the jaw before kicking him in the back of the knees, sending him to the ground before looking around for his best friend. Mike's eyes widened when he saw John lying on the ground, trying to catch his breath, while Logan approached him, having recovered quickly from the early attacks. He ran over and tackled the larger man to the ground, wincing as he rolled off him.

John quickly opened his eyes when he heard the collision, watching as Logan stood up and picked up Mike, about to slam him to the ground. He quickly got to his feet and kicked the man forcefully in the stomach, helping to safely lower Mike down. Then, the tag team partners locked arms and rushed forward, taking the larger man down by forcing their arms to his throat.

Then, John ducked out of the way as Cameron ran up to them, and Mike grabbed him before throwing him backwards over his shoulder, both watching as he landed on his back on the ground. Once he was sure that Cameron was going to stay down, John did a back flip before landing on him, wincing when the impact once again shocked him. He allowed Mike to pull him off and help him to his feet while Cameron grabbed his stomach and groaned in pain.

Both he and Logan were down, neither appearing to want to continue the fight.

However, the two motorcyclists that remained with Damien had already gotten off their bikes and were removing their leather jackets and helmets. One was shorter than they were with wild brown hair and blue eyes while the other was around their height with long blond hair tied back behind his head and brown eyes. Mike and John exchanged concerned looks, unsure if they could handle two more at the immediate moment. They had endured grueling matches in the past, but this fight was far from scripted. Anything could happen.

"No, Riley. Christian. Not now," Damien suddenly announced. "I've seen enough. Go help Cameron and Logan."

While Riley and Christian went to do do what they were told, Damien turned his attention to the relieved John and Mike. "You're pretty good," he stated. "Though I hate to say it... we'll leave for now. But let this be a warning to you to never cross us again."

He then looked to the four members of his gang that had gathered around him. "Someone go get Ethan. We're out." Damien put his helmet back on before starting his motorcycle, riding away from them. Logan, Cameron, and Christian followed while Riley rode in the direction of the restaurant, bringing Ethan, the final member, with him as they went with the rest of the gang out of sight.

* * *

Cailin let out the breath she had been holding when she watched Damien's gang ride away. She had been tense during the entire fight as she watched John take on the larger of the two men, but though she had worried, she had to admit that she was impresses by his athletic ability. She hadn't seen anything quite like it before...

Izzy stood beside her, breathing a sigh of relief that Mike was at least standing. When facing Damien's gang, that wasn't an easy accomplishment, and she had been reluctantly impressed by his fighting ability, though she hated the thought. But as she watched him begin to walk toward them with John, a thought crept into her mind that she despised even more.

She realized that she might have had feelings for Mike.

"Let's go meet them," Cailin muttered, concern still lingering in her voice as she began to hurry toward the two men. Izzy followed her at a bit of a slower pace. It was clear that her best friend had grown a liking to John, but the possibility that she was beginning to feel the same way toward Mike was not one that she was willing to admit or even consider. It was not going to happen.

John smiled as Cailin approached him, giving her a quick hug. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'll be fine," John answered, but then he winced a little. "I just landed hard on my side a couple times. Nothing serious."

"That was pretty amazing stuff out there," Izzy commented as she reached the small group. "Both of you."

"Well, it _is_ what we do for a living," Mike told her with a slight smile.

Izzy turned to look at him. "Are _you _okay?" she wondered.

Mike shrugged. "I'm breathing, aren't I?" he replied. Then, he smirked. "But wow. Did I hit my head too hard, or are you actually concerned about me?"

Before Izzy could retort, her eyes narrowed slightly when she noticed something red on Mike's forehead. "You're bleeding," she muttered.

"Am I?" Mike gently touched his forehead, seeing the blood on his fingertips. "Oh, yeah, I am..."

"It's not too bad, but still." Izzy reached up and tore off the end of her cloth headband, bunching it up before pressing it lightly against the cut.

"Izzy, you don't have to do that," Mike told her, a bit surprised that she was helping him as he gently grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"Shut up." Izzy narrowed her eyes at him until he released his hold on her before checking on the cut again. "It's easier for me to do this since I can see it while you can't." She sighed when he rolled his eyes. "Oh, and just because I'm doing this doesn't mean I hate you any less."

Mike chuckled. "The thought never even crossed my mind," he said. "But, hey, could I have my bandana back?"

Izzy nodded. "Yeah, sure," she replied. "Just hold that against your forehead and I'll get it." Once Mike was holding the cloth to the cut, Izzy checked her pockets. "Uh, oh."

"What uh, oh?" Mike asked, feeling a bit nervous by her tone.

After another minute of searching, Izzy bit her lip as she looked up at him. "I don't have your bandana," she answered hesitantly. "I must have dropped it..."

"You _what_?!"

But then, Izzy started cracking up laughin. "Ah, man, you should have seen the look on your face!" she gasped, reaching into her back pocket and pulling out his red bandana. "It's right here, don't worry."

Mike sighed with relief as he took it from her and tied it securely around his neck. "Girl, if you would have lost that..."

Before his threat could be finished, Mike and Izzy looked over at John when he cleared his throat, seeing that both he and Cailin were watching them with amused expressions on their faces. "Whenever you two are done flirting, we're ready to head to the restaurant," he announced with a smirk.

Izzy flushed while Mike glared at him, but they followed after John and Cailin as they began walking. "It wasn't flirting..." he grumbled while she just looked away from him awkwardly.

Once in the restaurant, the group of four found a table toward the back to avoid the looks that everyone else was giving them. John and Cailin sat next to each other, forcing Mike and Izzy to sit together across from them.

"I'll go get the menus," Izzy said before she even sat down, turning to walk up to the bar filled with loud, laughing people.

Mike, still holding the piece of Izzy's headband to his forehead, looked around the crowded restaurant. "Is there a bathroom in here?" he asked. "I want to clean this cut..."

"Yeah, it's across the room," Cailin answered, pointing. "It's right past the bar."

"Thanks. I'll be back soon." Mike got to his feet and disappeared into the crowd, leaving John and Cailin alone.

"So... you're sure you're okay?" Cailin muttered. "I mean, it's not often that people walk away without an injury after facing anyone in that gang..."

John smiled at her. "Don't worry, I'm fine," he told her. "I've been pretty fortunate as far as injuries go, but I've had worse ones, believe me."

Cailin returned the smile. "I have to admit that was pretty impressive though," she said.

"Oh, really?" John laughed a little. "I'm glad you thought so. I mean, it's just kinda basic stuff... In the ring is where the more intricate stuff happens."

"I'd like to see that sometime."

John looked at Cailin curiously for a moment, noticing that she seemed to know what he had been talking about. Then, his smile broadened. "I'd like that," he replied.

As he continued to look at Cailin, John realized that he had felt something toward her ever since he first met her in her bookstore that he hadn't felt since he had been with Melina. He had dealt with the empty feeling that had come with when she left, but there was something when he was around Cailin that filled that gap, something that made him feel more complete than he had in months. He slowly leaned toward her, surprised when she didn't back away. He lightly placed his hand on top of hers, watching as she slowly began to lean toward him as well. John closed his eyes, feeling their lips only inches apart...

"Sorry, there was a bit of a line."

Sighing, John and Cailin pulled apart before looking up at Mike as he came back and sat down across from them. He looked back at them with an amused smile. "Did I interrupt something?"

"No, Mike, not at all," John muttered with irritation while Cailin blushed and suddenly became interested in the pattern on her t-shirt.

Mike smirked. "Uh, huh. I'm sure."

Before John could reply, Izzy came back to the table, setting the four menus down. "Hey, Cailin, Ben's here and wants a word with us," she told her friend.

"Oh, okay." Cailin looked at John and Mike. "We'll be back in a few minutes."

"We'll be here." John smiled as he watched Cailin get to her feet and follow Izzy up to the bar. Mike turned to look at the other man, the smile still lighting up his face.

"So... you and Cailin, huh?" he asked with a wink.

John glared at him. "I could say the same about you and Izzy," he answered, avoiding the question.

Mike raised his hands defensively. "Hey, I don't like her like that, Man," he protested.

"Uh, huh. We'll see about that."

The younger man rolled his eyes as he set his hands in his lap. "But, anyway, on a more serious note, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that gang being in charge of fixing the car," he muttered. "I mean, they could be making it worse for all we know. And the show's in two days..."

John sighed. "Believe me, I don't like it either," he said. "But what do you suggest we do? I know you want to get out of here, but we'll have to wait for the car."

"If they fix it." Mike sighed also. "That's the point I'm trying to make here, John. Those guys hate us. They're not going to fix it."

"Okay, then what do you plan on doing?" John demanded quietly, though he knew that his friend was right.

Mike looked back at him. "I don't think we should go up against them again," he said. "They know what kinds of things we can do, and there's also more of them than there are of us. But I would feel better knowing that the car's still in one piece. Maybe there's even something we can do..."

John shook his head. "Are you crazy? We can't go looking for the car," he replied. "For one thing, we don't know exactly where we are, and they'll never let us out of their sight."

"We'd just have to follow the road that leads out of here," Mike told him. "There's only one..."

"Okay, say for argument's sake I agree to this," John muttered. "When do you suggest we leave? After this, we're probably going to have to go back to that shed..."

Mike smiled as he leaned back in his chair. "That is where you're wrong, my friend. Izzy said we were only kept there since we were considered dangerous. We were just proven innocent in our trial. We're probably going to be staying somewhere else now."

John sighed as he nodded. "But if we're in town, someone's going to see us leave," he pointed out.

"Not if it's at night."

The older man looked at his friend in disbelief. "Mike, you can't be serious!" he said. "You expect to find the car in the desert at night?"

"Do you have any other ideas?" Mike asked.

"Well, we could at least wait until daylight..." John began. In truth, he was very concerned about his car too, but not enough to do something as foolish as to wander about the desert at night.

"You said yourself that we'd be seen and that they won't let us," Mike reminded him. "Look, I don't care if I go with or without you, but I'm going to ensure we have a way out of here as soon as possible."

John sighed as he opened the menu, beginning to look through the dinner options as he thought about what he could say. He knew that what his friend was proposing was a stupid idea, but it would be even worse if he did it alone. "I don't like it," he finally muttered, not meeting Mike's gaze. "But you're not going by yourself."

Mike nodded as he opened his own menu. "Great. So, it's a plan. We'll check it out tonight."

* * *

Once the girls came back after talking to Izzy's older brother and they were finished eating and laughing as many jokes were made, they left the restaurant and headed back toward town. The sun had begun to set, covering the streets in the coming darkness as they stopped by Cailin's bookstore first to drop her off.

"Well, thank you for tonight," she said, hugging John first. "It was fun."

"You're welcome," John replied with a smile. "Glad you could join us. We'll have to do something again before we leave."

Cailin nodded. "Yeah, definitely," she agreed as she quickly hugged Izzy and then Mike. "I'm looking forward to it. See you guys later."

"Bye, Cailin."

They made sure that she got inside all right before starting to walk again, not quite sure where they were going. River Springs was a very small place, but they knew they hadn't seen everything yet. "So, are we heading back to that shed again, or..." Mike began quietly.

"No," Izzy told him. "Ben's fiance, Capri, rents out rooms, and she's got one open that you guys can use."

"Should we pay her?" John asked, knowing that they probably should, especially if she was renting the room out for them to use.

"You're only going to be using it for a couple nights, so she said not to worry about it," Izzy answered with a smile. "Though, I do have to warn you, there is one small thing about it..."

"We don't are," Mike said quickly. "Anything is better than that shed."

Izzy smirked at him. "Well, if you're sure..."

She led them to a small wooden building that was by other buildings that looked exactly the same and had the number three on the door. Izzy then pulled a key out of her pocket and unlocked it, pushing the door open so they could look. John and Mike leaned in the doorway, their eyes widening with fear when they saw the inside. It wasn't the small space that was the issue.

"Um... John?"

"Yeah, Mike?"

"You know you're my best friend and all..." Mike said. "But this is pushing it."

"I warned you," Izzy muttered from behind them, trying to hide the smile that was threatening to spread across her face.

Mike looked back at her. "You could have told us the room only had one bed!" he told her.

Izzy met his gaze. "If I do recall, you were the one who said that you didn't care and that anything was better than that shed," she replied sweetly.

Before Mike could retort, she turned to John and handed him the key. "You hold onto this," she said. "Um, it's your guys' place, so you don't have to worry about anyone else. It's possible that we can get at least another mattress in here, but we're not quite sure when that will happen. So, for now, you'll just have to think of something. Capri will be stop by sometime tomorrow morning to make sure you're all settled and what not. Other than that, have a good night."

"You too, Izzy, thanks," John muttered. Mike just nodded, mumbling angrily under his breath.

Izzy smiled at them. "Thanks for dinner, by the way. I'll see you guys later." Then, she turned and left, not looking back as she walked down the dusty street.

Sighing, John and Mike entered the small building, closing and locking the door behind them as they turned on the light. "So..." John began awkwardly, looking at the single bed. "How are we going to do this?"

"Well, we can figure that out after we find the car," Mike said, crossing his arms thoughtfully. "At least they left an extra pillow and some blankets. It won't be the most comfortable, but one of us could probably sleep on the floor and we'll switch off... Or... We could each take an end of the bed. It's long enough where we wouldn't be close..."

John tuned out the rest of Mike's sentence as he continued to think of possible sleeping arrangements. He wished that was the most of his worries. But his friend's plan to go look for the car was his main concern, and as much as he didn't like it, he knew he wasn't going to let him go on his own.

Night finally fell, and when the town seemed quiet enough, Mike and John left the small building and began to walk away from River Springs. "See, there's only one road that leads in and out of here," the younger man said, pointing to the unpaved road that wound out of sight through the desert. "And we must not be too far away to cause that gang to freak out..."

"Yeah, I guess," John muttered, glancing over his shoulder every once in a while as they began to walk along the road to make sure that they weren't being followed. So far, it seemed that no one was noticing them leaving.

"Don't worry, no one's going to see us," Mike told him, guessing his concern as he pulled him along. "It's dark out here. We won't be seen unless we're being looked for."

"I know..." John wasn't as convinced as his friend. He remembered how during the trial, Damien had mentioned how he and his gang usually patrolled the desert at night...

With the moonlight coming through the clouds to guide them, they continued their walk along the desert road. But the further away they got from the welcoming lights of the town, the more John hoped that they could find their way back. Though there was only one road, there were places where the desert sand swallowed it up, making it difficult to find again. The air was cool, as Mike pointed out, and the land became less tame as they continued with plants such as yucca and desert broom becoming more and more common.

"We couldn't have been out this far, could we?" Mike suddenly muttered, coming to a stop next to a mesquite tree with a purple geranium bush at its base as he tried to go over all the details from the night they had been brought to River Springs. "I remember hitting a cactus..."

John stopped next to him with a sigh. He wasn't sure how long they had been walking, but it was getting tiring. "Oh, yeah. A cactus in the desert," he said sarcastically. "That's not common..."

Mike turned and glared at him. "You were sleeping when we got lost here," he told him. "So you can't-!"

"Yeah, but not after you crashed," John replied with irritation, cutting him off. "All I'm saying is that if all you're going by is a cactus, this will be pretty damn difficult! And we were unconscious when we were brought to that town, don't forget. We have _no_ idea how far out we were. And they could have even moved the care for all we know..."

Growling with frustration, Mike violently hit the bush covered in purple flowers beside them. "You know what, John?" he snapped. "If you want to go back to that place without even trying, then be my guest! I'll see you when I get back after finding it!"

John sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to let Mike wander in the desert alone. But before he could reply, a loud sound pierced the night air around them that sounded like a rattle. They both looked around quickly, hoping to find the source of the warning noise.

"Where is it..." Mike muttered, his gaze moving anxiously around the area to try to see the rattlesnake as the sound continued. "I don't know where to go to avoid it..."

John scanned the desert around them intently, not seeing any sign of the serpent. "I don't know..."

Suddenly, his eyes widened in fear when he saw it beneath the geranium bush, coiled in a striking position dangerously close to his friend's foot. "Mike, back away!" John shouted anxiously, grabbing his arm to pull him back.

But he was too late. Just as John grabbed Mike, the rattlesnake quickly struck, sinking its venomous fangs into its victim's arm.

**Author's Note**: I know, I'm evil, lol. Who got bit? Well, you'll have to find out next time! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated! Thank you!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE. And I keep forgetting to put this, but I own Cailin, and **purplelygoodnes** owns Izzy!

**Author's Note**: Thank you for the reviews! Here's another quick update since I know you're all wanting to know who got bit by the snake. Well, you're about to find out! Thanks to **Graelam** again for help with giving me some of the effects of snakebite. You're awesome! Lol. I hope you guys enjoy it!

_Chapter 5_

Capri Heller walked along the dusty street with her flashlight to guide her way. Though Ben, her loving but oftentimes overprotective fiance, had suggested against it, she wanted to stop in to check on the two men that were going to be using one of the rooms she rented out. He had told her that it could wait until morning, but she felt bad that the room only offered one bed for the both of them, and she wanted to see if there was anything she could do to help them out in any way.

Building number three came into sight, and Capri approached it, knocking on the door. She waited patiently, brushing some blonde hair that had come loose from her ponytail out of her face as she looked at the night around her nervously. She wasn't quite sure what to expect with these two men since she hadn't met them and everything she knew about them had come from Izzy and Cailin. Both men seemed nice and responsible for the most part, but one never knew for sure until they actually met.

When she got no answer, Capri tried knocking again and waited for about the same amount of time. When she didn't get an answer again, she pulled out her master set of keys, finding the one that belonged with building three and quickly unlocked the door before pushing it open.

Capri gasped with surprise when she saw that both men were gone.

* * *

"Mike, back away!"

The words echoed in Mike's mind as he was pulled back a bit by John at the same time the snake struck Though it happened very quickly, time seemed to slow down a bit for him as he watched the serpent's fangs sink into his best friend's forearm.

"John!" Mike grabbed his arms and pulled him away from the bush to avoid a second strike from the snake. The older man allowed him to pull him along, holding his arm close to him. "John? John, are you okay?" He knew how stupid the question was since his friend had just been bitten by a deadly snake.

Surprisingly, John nodded. "Yeah... yeah, I'll be fine," he answered through gasps for breath, his face contorting into a look of pain. "Let's... let's just go back..."

Though he had set out to find the car, going back to River Springs now seemed to be the only option. Otherwise, John probably wouldn't make it... "All right, let's get back to town," Mike muttered.

As he looked at the road in the direction they had come from nervously, the only sound John's ragged, uneven breathing, Mike tried to remember everything he could about how to treat a snakebite when there were no materials. All he could think of was to keep the bite below the level of the heart, try not to move the area as much as possible, and to create a light band on either side of it to try to prevent the venom from spreading...

Sighing, Mike unwrapped his bandana from around his neck. John watched with surprise as he quickly tore it in half and began to tie each piece around his arm on either side of the bite.

"You're using your bandana?" he said with a slight smile.

"Shut up," Mike told him, hesitating for a moment when he heard John gasp with pain at his arm being touched before finishing. "Let's just get back to River Springs as quickly as possible."

Though he tried to act as though he could handle the snakebite by walking on his own as he and Mike slowly made their way down the road toward town, the effects of the venom were catching up to John quickly. His breath was coming shortly due to the pain in his chest that was steadily growing worse along with the intense pain in his arm. He could feel the muscles in his arms and legs tightening as he continued to walk, slowing him down as they entered a sand-filled area, and the loss of balance that had been creeping up on him made walking even more difficult.

Finally not able to continue on his own, John closed his eyes as he stumbled a little in the sand, starting to fall. Mike, who had stayed right beside him, threw his arms out and caught him before he could hit the ground.

"John, come on, Man," he muttered anxiously as he supported him, seeing in the moonlight that his face had completely drained of color. "We need to keep going..."

"My... arm..."

Mike felt dread flood through him at the quiet statement, and he carefully lifted John's bitten arm to check on it. He bit his lip nervously when he saw that the area was swelling. "Shit..." he muttered, sighing with worry. "John, is there anything else that hurts?" He tried to remember everything he could about snakebites to try to see how much time they had.

John slowly nodded, not wanting to worry his friend further but knowing the truth would be critical in this situation. "My... chest..." he told him, the only words he was able to get out through his gasps.

Very worried now, Mike put John's uninjured arm around his neck and wound his arm behind his back to support him. He knew he had to get the other man medical attention soon... "Okay, work with me, John," he said, beginning to lead him along. "We'll get back faster if you walk too, okay, Man?"

"... Yeah..."

Mike sighed, not encouraged by the response. "Just hang in there..."

As they continued to slowly walk along the unpaved road, Mike's nerves got higher and higher. He hadn't realized how far away from the town they had gotten, and he knew that time, much like John's strength, was quickly slipping away. But, he knew that if he just kept going, they would get him back to the town in time to get help. He wasn't even going to consider the alternative.

They didn't walk for too much longer before John's strength completely left him, and he leaned entirely on Mike for a moment before slumping toward the ground. Mike tried holding him up, but found he had to lower him gently to the ground so he wouldn't harm him further. Breathing hard, he sunk to his knees on the road next to his best friend, looking around them anxiously before his gaze rested on John. They couldn't have been too far away from the town...

Then, Mike looked up again, narrowing his eyes when he noticed something off in the distance. They were lights, which appeared to be from buildings...

"John," he muttered with a slight laugh, shaking him gently. "John, I can see the town. Come on, Man, we can make it!"

But John didn't move to look at what the other man saw. Instead, his weary gaze had rested on a cactus rose in the sand beside the road. It was so beautiful, yet so simple. As he continued to stare at the desert plant, he couldn't help but think of Cailin, so sweet and beautiful in her own way. He remembered how they had almost kissed at the restaurant, wishing they hadn't been interrupted since it appeared that had been his only chance...

Mike sighed with concern as he looked down on John when he didn't respond. "Hey, come on, look at me," he said, carefully turning his face toward him. He was alarmed to see that his eyes were exhausted and distant, struggling to stay open. He was instantly very nervous, remembering that it was possible for a snakebite victim to go into shock due to the pain from the venom... "John, hang on. Stay with me. We're almost there, okay?"

"... Mike..." That was all John could say before his eyes slowly closed.

His anxiety spiking, Mike immediately put his arm under John's back, carefully lifting his upper body so he could pick him up into his arms. "No, I'm not letting you die," he told him, not sure if he could hear him or not. "Not when we're this close..."

Suddenly, a bright light hit him in the face, and Mike raised his other hand to cover his eyes so he wouldn't go blind. The first thought that ran through his mind was the confrontation they had with Damien's gang earlier that day. He remembered how they usually patrolled the area at night. If anything could make the situation worse, it was this.

"Mike?"

That had been the last voice he had been expecting to hear, and he had never been happier to hear it. Mike lowered his hand, squinting as he tried to look past what he now realized was a flashlight beam. "Izzy!" he called, waving to her. "Izzy!"

The light was lowered from his face as it got closer, and Izzy knelt down next to him, throwing her arms around him in a quick hug before she turned her attention to John. "What happened?" she asked anxiously.

Mike looked back at her, shocked by the hug. But his best friend's life was more important than trying to figure out her actions and how she had even found them. "There was a snake..." he began.

Izzy's eyes widened with fear before looking over her shoulder at the two other flashlight beams. "Ben!" she shouted. "Hurry!"

Everything was pretty much a blur to Mike as he watched Izzy's older brother join them, Cailin right behind him. When she saw John, she bit her lip with clear worry.

"Snakebite," Izzy told Ben quietly as he checked for John's vitals.

"Okay..." Ben carefully lifted John's arm to check on the swollen area. "Cailin, Capri's at our house next to the medical center. Go to her and tell her to prepare the anitvenom."

Cailin finally tore her eyes away from John's pale face and nodded to Ben before running in the direction of the town. The older man then picked up John into his arms and followed after her, ensuring that the affected area wasn't moved as much as possible. Mike remained kneeling on the ground, staring after them in shock. He still couldn't believe any of this had happened, but at the same time, he felt relief that help had arrived...

He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, and he looked over at Izzy, seeing her concern. "Come on," she muttered. "Let's go check on John."

Mike nodded with a fresh sense of determination as he got to his feet with Izzy next to him, and together, they ran down the road toward River Springs. "Where is the medical center?" he asked once the wooden buildings came into sight.

"Not far," Izzy answered, leading the way through the dusty streets. "It's closer to the desert for this reason..."

She led Mike to a larger building, holding the door open for him before beginning to walk down the hall past a few wooden doors. Mike walked behind her, wondering which room John was in.

Then, a door at the end of the hall opened, and a woman with blonde hair tied messily behind her head and a pale tint to her face walked out, her eyes cast downward as she came in their direction. She appeared to be shaken up.

"Capri," Izzy said, rushing over to her. "Is John in there? How is he?"

The woman gave her a small smile, her gaze saddening when an anxious Mike joined them. "Yeah, he's in there," Capri replied quietly. "It's too early to say, but personally, I think he may pull through. There isn't too much to do now except to make him comfortable."

Mike wasn't going to accept that answer. He walked past the two girls to the door Capri had left, opening it and stepping into the room. His gaze faltered at the sight.

John was lying in a bed on the far wall, appearing to be resting a bit more peacefully, though his face was still very pale. Ben was sitting in a chair beside him, tending to the bite on his arm, while Cailin stood by a counter, wetting a cloth under warm water from the sink. She looked up when she heard the door open, giving him a sad smile.

"Is he going to be okay?" Mike asked hesitantly.

Ben sighed as he turned to look at him over his shoulder. "The antivenom's been applied," he answered. "All we can really do now is wait and see. If he makes it through the night without any major complications, he'll be fine, but there's no saying for sure. Snake venom can react differently from person to person. Don't worry. Cailin and I will be here all night, keeping our eyes on him."

"Okay..." Mike felt a bit better by hearing Ben's confidence, but he had noticed that he really hadn't given him a definite answer. He moved his eyes to Cailin when she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"We'll do everything we can," she told him quietly, strength in her tone.

After a moment, Mike returned the smile. "Thank you, Cailin."

"Now, it'll be a bit easier for us to work if we had no one else here," Ben told him kindly. "If you could please step out... We'll keep you updated on any changes in his condition."

His first instinct was to argue with him, to stay with his friend since it was his fault that he was in this situation. But, Mike knew that it would be in John's best interest, so he reluctantly nodded and left the room.

Mike sighed as he stepped out into the hallway, seeing that Izzy and Capri were gone as he leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes. Had they gotten John back to the town in time for them to save his life? He wasn't sure, and that uncertainty was tearing him apart. He heard a door open from the other end of the hall, but he ignored it. They wouldn't have even gone out into the desert if it hadn't been for his impatience to find a way out, and now, his best friend was paying the price for that mistake...

"Hey."

At the sound of the quiet voice, Mike slowly raised his head and looked up, watching as Izzy hesitantly came up to him. "Hey," he muttered, turning to completely face her.

Izzy sighed, her sorrow-filled gaze shifting around before landing on his face. "Look, I'm really sorry about John," she said. "But Ben is an excellent doctor. He's in good hands. I usually help him out since I'm entering the medical profession myself, but we figured someone should keep an eye on you, so Cailin's taking over for me..."

Mike gave her a slight smile. "Thanks, Izzy, but..." He sighed, worry replacing his smile as he gently grabbed her upper arms. "Izzy, I want you to answer me honestly. I believe you about your brother, but... Did we get John here in time? Will he be okay?"

"Well..." Izzy looked up at Mike nervously, unsure of how to answer his question. She wanted to tell him that yes, without a doubt, John would be all right. But there were various factors involved, so she knew it wouldn't be fair to do that... "It depends on the size of the snake, the kind of snake, the length of time since the bite, how it was treated..."

"What does the size of the snake have to do with anything?" Mike asked.

Izzy sighed. "The younger a snake is, which is determined by its length, the less they control the venom used in a bite," she explained. "Do you know about how big it was?"

"Not too big..." Mike muttered as he tried to remember. "It was dark and happened so fast... I'd say no more than a foot and a half." His nerves spiked when he saw Izzy bite her lip. "That's bad, isn't it?"

"Not the worst, but it is dangerous," Izzy said. "And I don't think you would know what type it was..."

Mike rolled his eyes. "It was a snake. A fucking rattlesnake," he told her. "That's _all_ I know." He sighed, covering his eyes with his hand when he realized he wasn't being much help. "Oh, God... John's going to die, isn't he?"

Izzy sighed as she reached forward and placed her hand gently on his arm. "You don't know that for sure," she tried to assure him. "As long as the antivenom was applied, he should be fine..."

"See, what I heard was the word _should_." Mike lowered his hand to look at her. "What if it's not enough or not in time?"

"I think you know the answer to that," Izzy murmured, not wanting to voice aloud what would happen. "But John wasn't quite in shock when he got here, which is a good thing. I think he'll make it." When Mike didn't say anything, she sighed. "But what were you thinking, going out in the desert at night when you have absolutely no idea where you are?"

Mike suddenly looked up at her, anger flaring in his eyes. Izzy gasped and took a small step back. She had asked the question out of concern, but clearly, he hadn't taken it that way. "I know the decision was a stupid one," he told her. "Believe me, I do. I'm the one who had to watch my best friend get bitten by a damn snake and suffer with it!"

Izzy then got her confidence back. "Well, maybe you should have thought of that _before_ you left!" she replied with just as much intensity. "If you had... John probably wouldn't be in this situation!" She hated dragging the hurt man into the discussion, but it had just slipped out.

"You know what I don't get, Izzy? Why do you hate me so much?" Mike snapped angrily. "What did I ever do to you?"

A thin line of tears appeared in Izzy's eyes as she looked back at Mike's fierce gaze. Could she tell him the real reason? Before she could question it, she cried, "You made me love you!"

Mike's eyes widened with shock. That had been the last thing he had expected to hear. Before he could try to think of a response, Izzy turned and walked away from him, pushing the door of the medical center open and allowing it to slam behind her as she stepped out into the night. He stared after her, wondering if he had heard her correctly. _"You made me love you!"_ That was what she had said... He couldn't believe it.

But what he couldn't believe more was the thought that was now on his mind. He also knew that he couldn't deny it anymore, regardless of how he had tried to convince himself otherwise...

Sighing, Mike hurried in the direction Izzy had gone. He knew that he had upset her, but he certainly hadn't meant to. She only cared about both him and John. He couldn't believe he had snapped at her for that. She certainly hadn't deserved it...

When he opened the door and stepped outside, Mike saw that Izzy was sitting at the edge of the porch, her knees pulled up to her chest as she drew shapes in the sand with a stick. Even though her back was to him, he could tell by the way her shoulders were shaking that she was silently crying.

"Izzy?"

She flinched at the sound of his voice, but she didn't say a word.

Mike sighed, slowly walking forward and sitting beside her. Izzy turned away from him a little, but otherwise didn't move from her spot. Not exactly sure how to proceed, he sighed as he looked down at his hands.

"Listen, Izzy," Mike muttered, moving his gaze to the road that stretched in front of them. "I know I can be an asshole sometimes... Okay, more than sometimes. But ever since I accidentally put you in that chokehold when we first met... You've kept me on my toes too. I can honestly say you're the first girl I've met that has been able to drive me crazy. Aside from all our bickering, aside from all the times I pick on you... I do care about you. A lot. And..." He paused, unsure of how to say the last part.

When he didn't say anything else for a long moment that continued to drag on, Izzy slowly looked up at him, wiping the tears from her eyes. "And what?" she asked.

Sighing, Mike looked back at her, meeting her gaze. "And you made me love you too," he answered quietly, a small smile on appearing on his face.

Izzy looked back at him in disbelief, able to see the sincerity of the statement in his eyes. Then, the words slowly sank in, and she covered her face as more tears began to fall. Mike leaned over, wrapping his arms around her securely as he pulled her close to him.

"Hey, it's okay," he said with a laugh. "I thought saying 'I love you' was a good thing."

"I... I know..." Izzy muttered between her tears, wrapping her arms tightly around him and burying her face in his chest as she tried to stop crying. "But... I didn't think you felt the same..."

Mike placed his chin on top of her head. "Well, I do," he told her. "Get used to it, because that's the way it is."

Izzy laughed a little herself, wiping her tears away and loving the secure feeling of his arms around her. Mike then tilted her face up toward him, wiping away the stray tears that still lingered on her cheeks with his thumb before leaning forward and placing a soft kiss on her lips.

Though it was a quick kiss, Izzy smiled broadly as she kissed him a second time before laying her head on his shoulder and taking his hand in hers. It hadn't been easy to admit that she had fallen in love with him, especially to herself. But now that she knew he felt the same, it had been one of the best things that had ever happened to her.

Mike sighed as he held Izzy close, resting his cheek on her hair. He truly did love her, and a great weight seemed to have been lifted from his shoulders now that she knew. And though he was still incredibly worried about John, he knew that waiting for any news, regardless of what it would be, would be more bearable with her.

* * *

Cailin sighed as she turned off the lights in the room so that it would be easier for John to sleep. His body was still fighting against the effects of the venom, a battle that was noticeably taking its toll, and she wanted to help out as much as she could. The moonlight coming in through the window provided a gentle light, and it was enough where she could still keep her eye on him where it wouldn't bother him.

She sat down in the chair beside the bed that had long been occupied by Ben, who had gone home for a short time to check on Capri since she hadn't been feeling well. She looked down at John, noticing that he appeared to be resting more peacefully than when he had arrived, which was encouraging to her.

Cailin leaned forward and delicately brushed away some stray hair that had fallen into his face, hoping not to disturb him as she couldn't suppress a yawn. She had been nearly asleep when Izzy came to her door to tell her that Mike and John were missing, and she had entered the desert after going through the entire town to search for them. What they had been doing out there, she didn't know, but she was just relieved that they had gotten them back in time.

Then, Cailin gasped quietly when she thought she saw him move a little. "John?" she asked in nearly a whisper, leaning forward. She wasn't sure if he had truly moved or if she was just tired, but she wished that Ben would come back in case he was in more pain or needed something. Just in case, Cailin took his hand in hers and gave it a slight squeeze.

"It's okay," she told him, unsure if he could hear her. "You're not alone. Are you feeling any worse?"

Cailin waited for a moment, watching for any more movement or any sign that he had heard her. She sighed when there was nothing, slowly leaning back in the chair as she started to release his hand.

But then, she paused when she thought she felt John squeeze her hand ever so slightly, but it had been so weak that she barely felt it. Her eyes moved back to his face, wondering if he actually was starting to become more aware. But his eyes were still closed, his expression reflecting that of a boy in a peaceful sleep.

A small smile appeared on Cailin's face as she gently set John's hand back down and ran her fingers lightly over his cheek before she leaned back in her chair, sighing and closing her eyes. Never had she wished more that morning would come.

* * *

Ben quietly opened the door of the room in the medical center where his newest patient was, relieved that Capri had finally fallen asleep. Her stomach had been bothering her for the past few days, and on top of working hard, she had been completely worn out. Sleep was something that she desperately needed, and he was glad she was getting it.

But when he saw the sight before him in the moonlight, he couldn't help but smile.

John was the same as he had left him, but Cailin was now leaning forward on the bed, her head resting on her arms. She was sound asleep.

Laughing quietly to himself, Ben approached the bed, checking on John's vitals. Finding no drastic difference, he grabbed an extra blanket from the shelf and covered Cailin with it, making sure that she was at least as comfortable as she could be.

"Good night," he muttered, his smile lingering.

Then, Ben sighed as he looked down on the sleeping pair. If John had lasted this long, he had a good chance of pulling through. But as he pulled up another chair and started to look through that day's edition of the newspaper, he knew it was still going to be a long night.

**Author's Note**: Hehe, I love both of these pairings! As said on my Twitter, the song for Mike and Izzy is "You Found Me" by The Fray, and the song for John and Cailin is "Run to You" by Bryan Adams. Hope you liked it!!! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


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